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June 17th, 2011
09:43 AM ET
The pool safety hazard you don't know aboutIn June 2007, 6-year-old Abbey Taylor was swimming with her family at her local pool. But when her parents called out that it was time to go, they saw that she didn’t look quite right. Abbey stood up unsteadily from the kiddie pool, took a few steps sideways, and fell into the adult pool. There was no blood, but Abbey complained that her stomach hurt. It was hours later, after surgery for what doctors thought was a rectal tear, that her parents got the devastating news: Abbey had been disemboweled, her small intestine ripped from her body, by the suction from an uncovered pool drain. Although she fought for nine months through 16 surgeries, including a liver, small bowel and pancreas transplant, Abbey passed away on March 20, 2008. Pool drain entrapment can occur when a swimmer’s body or clothing become entangled in a faulty drain or grate, causing drowning or serious injuries. Pool drain accidents don’t happen often, but they do happen. Sadly, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says an 8-year-old girl has already been injured this summer. And a similar incident, which claimed the life of 7-year-old Virginia Graeme Baker (granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III), inspired passage of the Pool & Spa Safety Act, which requires anti-entrapment drain covers and other safety devices at public pools and spas. How can you make sure something like this never happens to your child? The CPSC recommends these precautions: • If you own a home pool, make sure federally-compliant drain covers are installed properly. Also, check to see if yours was one of the 1 million recalled this spring. Inspect your drain cover regularly to make sure it’s not broken or missing. Parenting.com: Tragedy in the backseat: Hot-car deaths • If you frequent a neighborhood pool or spa, advocate for regular checks by a qualified pool and spa safety inspector. You can remind pool managers that properly maintained drain covers are the law. Parenting.com: FDA announces new labeling for sunscreens • If you’re swimming in a pool and don’t know if it has been inspected, it’s safest to keep kids away from drains, pipes, and other openings. Parenting.com: Ten common health emergencies and how to deal with them For more information on drain cover hazards and pool safety, check out the CPSC’s Pool Safely campaign and Abbey’s Hope, the charitable foundation started in Abbey Taylor’s name. |
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. Recent Comments
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Anytime I hear a child die, it's very upsetting. One of my best friend's little girl of 8 died of a strangulated bowel. The loving parents that loved each other got a divorce. There's not a day that goes by that the father doesn't talk about his daughter. The mom got off Facebook all together.
My question, I'm on the HOA board and in charge of the pool. I always wondered if underwater pool lights could cause a shock if something became faultyy. Anyone know?
Jack, I would suggest contacting a qualified electrician and/ or pool service who works with pools that have underwater lights. My first reaction is that electricity and water don't mix so, of course, there is always a chance of shock/ electrocution.
If the underwater lights are "low voltage" 12v, they are probably safe.
According to the National Electric Code Section 680, all underwater lights which exceed 15 volts must be protected by a ground vault circuit interupter.
That being said, I agree with Kellie – hire a qualified electrician to verify your pool lights are safe. Until that is done, turn them off at the control panel. If they are not safe and you cannot afford to make them so, remove their circuit breaker so they will not operate.
Entrapment and entanglement in main drains which are not VGBA compliant are much more likely to occur than evisceration; however, it is a definite concern and should be carefully considered in the design and construction of any pool – public or private.
Anyone else concerned that a Home Owners Association board member who is in charge of the pool is asking safety questions in the SoundOff? Apparently Jack hasn't read many post around here before.
Underwater pool lights are perfectly safe. If the pool was properly bonded, you could drop a high tension line in the pool and not shock swimmers.
I have been the pool industry for over 50 years in all phases of pool construction and maintance.
I have not hear of any pool light causing a death. A pool light must be installed by an qualified electrican and inspected by a goverment offical inspector in any new pool built. This has been the law for as long as I can remember.
Thanks all... It was just one of those things I never thought about until I had to flip on the timer for the lights when there were kids in there for the first time for the season and wondered if I was going to hurt someone. Being an HOA board member is not my day job BTW. I'm just a volunteer for landscaping and the pool for a 100 home subdivision. Now I have to figure out how to change the bulb for one of the four underwater lights that went out. I think we'll get an electrician.
Hi Jack B,
A properly working GFCI (Ground Fault Cicuit Interrupter) trips the light circuit if it detects minute elctrical shorts. In California they are required by law.
Its a simple test: find teh GFCI (if you dont have one have one installed!) turn the light on, push the test button on the the GFCI. If it trips (and the light goes off), you are okay. if it doesnt trip you have an issue.
Best wishes and thank you for being aware.
Mike
@Willie68:
Now you have: http://articles.sfgate.com/1997-11-11/news/28557696_1
A simple $15 GFCI would have saved this girls life.
Howie, thats not true. The GFCI is to protect swimmers from electrical sources eminating FROM the pool. Such as the pump and any lighting. If an electrical source comes into contact with the water, the water will still be energized if that source doesn;t immediately short out.
Yes, this can be catastrophic. A family down the street was kind enough to let a family friend have her daughter's ninth birthday party at the pool. One of the underwater lights malfunctioned, and the little girl died.
Is leaving facebook the new measure of how traumatic something is?
A kid was killed a few years ago in a pool at Dorney Park in Allentown PA. The kid was sucked down and held down by the pool's drain. His body went undiscovered for many hours, including thru-out an after-hours life guard training session held that night in the pool. Apparently, everyone who kind-of saw the body, dismissed it as simply being a shadow.
It happened on June 17, 1994. Search for "Teen found dead in Dorney wave pool".
That must have been one badly maintained pool! In a clean and chemically balanced pool, you can see right down to the drain. If you can't, don't get in and don't let your kids get in. It's full of toxic chloramines and bacteria.
Stupid headline CNN. This particular safety issue has been the subject of an all out media blitz for the past 4 years. Anyone who is not fully aware of this issue has been living under a rock or is just too stupid to have kids anyway. While there are a small handful of entrapment deaths annually, the disembowlment scenario has happened exactly twice in the United States ever. Another attempt at better readership through sensationalism.
With summer swimming season coming up, it's an excellent time to bring up this article – despite your feeling that it's "outdated." They should post the article every spring, to remind parents to be wary when they take their kids to different pools or summer camps. Awareness is important.
People without pools may have not paid attention to past media coverage. Now new parents or people buying a home with a pool for the first time, may read this and save a child's life.
THANK YOU! Who HASN'T heard about this happening?!
As a former pool safety inspector I am well aware of this hazard and I think it's great that CNN is trying to increase awareness. It's a horrible thing to have happen to anyone. You should be ashamed of yourself Howie.
Actually, the US averages 1 or 2 per year; though, there were 5 in 2000. This info is available from the CPSC and the PSC.
Many people do tend to "live under a rock" and I personally do not believe pool safety can be over emphasized. If it saves one child, this article and the next 50 just like it are well worth the space they take up.
If all pools were required to have atmospheric venting (surge chamber, for instance) or some form of automatic vacuum release, this issue would become a mute point. No vacuum = no entrapment.
If this article educated one person, it is worth it..
Thank you Harry, Ruth and Jules. Just as we know leaving a child in a hot car can kill them it still happens. Everyone needs to be reminded of safety precautions. Howie you must live under a rock.
So what if it happens twice in a decade. That's probably the most gruesome death I can think of. And to think that it has to be suffered by children makes it even worse. At the very least this story is more socially valuable than the Casey Anthony trial. Sensationalism or not, I'm also glad that CNN is covering it.
Too stupid to have kids? Um, no. I choose not to have kids, because the world sucks. This makes me pretty fricken smart. I have all the disposable income I could want and tons of free time. Who's stupid now?
"Knowledge is Power", Howie doesn't live under a rock. He's just a big friggin JERK!
If it happened to your child you wouldn't judge the article the same way.
If it happened to your child surely you wouldn't judge the article the same way.
@Harry B:
There have been a total of twelve entrapment deaths in the last 12 years.
All 12 had broken, missing or flat (old style) drain covers.
I'm glad CNN ran the article. I'd never about this problem before, so that's one more person reached. Such a terrible event for the children and families involved.
Modern life demands our attention in many ways, and not all of us have the luxury of reading every safety-related article that comes along. Conversely, I am amazed in my own areas of interest and knowledge that more people are not aware of certain things I find important.
Life is finite, and we each should do what we can to increase our mutual knowledge and understanding. Be slow to judge others, eager to share, and always show compassion.
The legal case for one of these disembowlments is how John Edwards became a millonare.
You are absolutely right about Johnny Boy.
I remember watching the fourth "Final Destination" movie with a friend who commented that one of the deaths- which involved the very thing this article discusses- was so outrageous and unbelievable. This just goes to show that anything can happen.
It is really appalling to even think about it.
This is so sad, its not something you often think about while at the pool. But just wondering, how would the small intestine be ripped, (I see that it says b/c of the suction from the drain) but I don't really understand how an internal injury such as that would happen.
Easy, though gruesome. Kid sits down on or against the drain, which forms a seal on the kid's anus. I don't think I need to say more- you can imagine what happens next.
What is astounding, and hard to understand, is that the little girl mentioned in the article was able to get up and walk around at all, that she complained of "a stomach ache," and that she was taken in for surgery on what they thought was a "rectal tear"....when she had lost all of her small intestine.
A great way to protect your child from this type of tragedy is to have them read this article, or read it to them. I guarantee they will steer clear of the pool drain, if not the pool altogether.
Good idea. Make your kid terrified of the pool.
Thanks CNN! We moved into a home with a pool back in Feb. It's been a learning experience. I plan to check on our drain covers first thing in the morning and make sure they are safe for my 4 children!
Your telling me she sat DIRECTLY on the pool drain, and that her intestines were removed through her rectum? Crazy.
I'm a licensed pool inspector and have seen many an old style flat drain cover in older pools, as well as missing or broken covers. Yes, this can happen to both children and adults, though more easily to children. This incident must have occured in a kiddie pool, not a standard 6' deep pool.
Great attention should be paid to accidential drowning prevention. Accidents often happening at residential pools where access is not secure. Doors & windows least than 48" in height must have alarm contacts. Sadly they are oft times disabled by homeowners, because the beeping that occurs each time the door opens is annoying. Gates must self-latching with the latch 48" above grade for interior latching & 54" in the case of exterior latching.
Another class of accidents are spinal injuries from diving due to placement where the depth and/or width of the diving envelope is not sufficient. Some pools may have water features like cascading fountain w/ a rock structure. Keep in mind that rock structure may be view by some as diving platform. If they are not positioned w/ an adequate diving envelope, injuries can occur.
DIsemboweled???! Horrifying! 😦
Horrifying indeed but, according to
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia11/os/entrap11.pdf,
this must have been the OLNY death of its kind.
It has been federal law now for a couple years to have a pool drain cover that cannot be plugged up by a person being near it. Its interesting that a pool I operated for 30 years and was built in 1960 was constructed with almost every modern code feature in use today. That's a very, very strange thing. Its like the pool engineer was thinking way head of everybody of his day. For this particular problem he thought that a 100,000 pool would need a rather strong pumping system and it would definitely kill someone who got near a drain. So he devised a ingenious system to prevent that very occurrence. First, the pool feathers two large drains that are both 1 square foot each. Each drain is also constructed 1'x1'x'1 with a 6 inch pipe connecting both drains together. There is a T that goes to the influent side of the filter system. If you totally and complete block one drain with your body, it naturally pulls water from the other side with little to no suction to hold you down. We tried it many times and could not get it to pull. We also tried to block both drains and because there is a 1" screen above the drain, it still did not create enough suction to hold someone down. When the state pool inspector checked for compliance, he found us to be just fine. He did make us fill in some cracks in the pool deck but that's expected for a 50 year old pool.
I saw that on a million-gallon pool where I worked as a lifeguard and which I'm sure was built 50 years ago. It was an amazing system. The drains worked just like you described and the filter system used diatomaceous earth we would deposit on a series of 10-15 grids maybe 3'x6', covered in nylon mesh and submerged in this huge fiberglass-lined concrete pit. Every time I had to do maintenance on that pool or the pump or clean the deep end (scuba gear and a high-pressure hose to coax the goose poop toward the drain), I was reminded that there just weren't any pre-fab systems so the engineer had to design working systems from the ground up. It was simple, well-designed and the water was always crystal clear.
YOUR POOL IS NOT LEGAL!!! According to the law it still must have APPROVED drain covers. You are lucky that the inspector didn't understand the law. What state do you live in? Some states are enforcing it much more strickly than others.
This topic has been in the news for years and yet it is still discussed as if it is a new and little-known discovery. Parents should check the drains of any pool their child will be in.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klr2sMg51gI&w=640&h=360]
Ecochick: I'm breathing a sigh of relief you aren't having children.
I built in-ground swimming pools to pay for college ('95-'01). Even then I had heard stories about kids getting trapped by underwater intakes. I was surprised at how few building codes existed for residential pools and how superficial the building codes are for commercial pools. For instance, there is a maximum turnover rate for commercial pools in Columbus, OH (8 hours) but there were few codes pertaining to suction point design safety despite that stories of underwater entrapment were common (at least among people who built pools). I'm not sure when, but it seems that Columbus has since adopted ANSI/ASME A112.19.8-2007, a national standard enacted in 2007 and named after a famous intake-related death (Virginia Graeme Baker) which stipulates that all new installations be unblockable suction fittings or that the fitting be equipped with an approved suction-limiting system. It further stipulates that all pools and spas, both new and existing, must be retrofitted with unblockable or suction-limited fittings by 12/19/2008. Abbey Taylor's tragic death happened in 2007, so is this really a hazard to be worried about, so long as the pool is up to code?
We should be afraid of everything all the time. It's the American Way.
It is still important to know about the problem because the VGBPSSA does not apply to PRIVATE pools and spas – which means that without sensational news articles like this one the entrapment problem may not go away even while the drowning rate may go up due to many public pools closing because of the financial burden of becoming compliant with the law.
"Too stupid to have kids? Um, no. I choose not to have kids, because the world sucks. This makes me pretty fricken smart. I have all the disposable income I could want and tons of free time. Who's stupid now?"
Ecochick, judging by your obnoxious and self-important comments, I'd say YOU'RE still the stupid one.
What we need is more things to be afraid of. I love watching America turn into a nation of cowardly little turds.
These colors not only ran, they are in a bomb shelter already. The French look downright studly compared to us these days.
very sad, but very very rare. Drowning is, by far, a much more pressing concern in pool safety. Why not cover stories of children who drown silently, or the fact that drowning is quickly becoming the leading cause of accidental death in children? Oh, yeah, it doesn't make for as good of a story as disemboweling.
Indeed. Plus they might actually have DO research and write that story. That I can tell most of the reports about this issue come straight from news releases from Safe Kids or the CPSC. Check out the video link "Is you pool drain safe" that davej posted. I haven't actually seen this story posted elsewhere but it doesn't take much imagination to realize that this story did not get initiated from inside CNN.
This is terrible, however, events such as these will help save lives in the future. Best wishes.
As an adult and lifeguard of a better part of a decade, I will expand on CNN's warning. Most pools have converted to the new drains as required by law by now. However the best prevention for anything at a pool is to WATCH YOUR OWN CHILDREN. A lifeguard is trained to recognize distressed swimmers or those in the process of drowning. We would rather die than let anything happen to anyone else on our watch. However it is the parents who know their child's mannerisms and tendencies best. Lifeguards are NOT babysitters-we are here to help in a real emergency, not provide complete and total surveillance of your child!
The Virgina Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is an example of very bad legislation. Entrapment deaths account for a statistically insignificant number of swimming related deaths – drowning due to lack of swimming skill accounts for a much larger percentage. Yet as a result of this law many pools have been forced to close. The entrapment problem was primarily a problem for private spas and yet the law applied to ALL PUBLIC pools and spas –regardless of the risk the posed. Aside from obvious racial descrimation (a few rich white girls as opposed to lot of black children) this law shows how laws are shaped by companies that stand to profit from them (e.g. the drain makers and companies that fought so bitterly when the CPSC decided not to force everyone to get the auto shut off).
THIS LAW IS A JOKE and the media needs to get a clue. Stop taking your stories from news releases right out of the mouth of Safe Kids and the CPSC.
I lifeguarded at two different pools in the RDU area of NC in the early 90s....both had faulty drains that partially disemboweled children. There were waterparks in the 80s which actually sucked kids and adults underground through pipes going from the pool to the pump. This still happens, unfortunately...despite insurance companies mandating the newer safety covers to prevent such injuries.
I found this article informative but also very disturbing. i'm glad my kids are grown adults – we had a tiny plastic blow-up pool when they were growing up.
There is simply no excuse for unprotected and unsafe pool drains. This is not new news, this has been known for 50 years or more. The manufacturers and installers need to be held morally and financially responsible or nothing will ever change. Any company still selling the old dangerous drains should simply be put out of business. They're basically getting away with murder for profit (quite literally).
Check out: http://www.poolspanews.com/2011/051/051n_lionetti.html
Agreed, the pool industry has known about this issue for YEARS. It would have been much more efficient to sue the builders, the inspectors and the manufacturers. The two laws (for Abby Taylor and Virginia Graeme Baker) have, in my opinion, made things less safe. These entrapment injuries are truly horrible and preventable but when people allow their emotions to build laws then there are unintended consequences.
My heart goes out to these families and I applaud them to trying to do the right thing. I just think they were used by the industry that served to gain financially when it was legislated that all public pools and spas were required to buy their approved drain covers.
Some of the blame belongs to the media research their articles and provide a bigger picture for the readers. It is clear that this site is a mouth piece for CPSC news releases.
It's a simple engineering formula and most pool builders and designers are NOT engineers. A known amount of water must be circulated and filtered for a known amount of time to provide a biologically safe and sparkling clean product. (H20) This can easily be done without producing suction forces sufficient enough to endanger anyone. Double drains and vacuum pressure breakers are simply a cheap, but effective, band-aid fix for safety hazards that were not well engineered. If it is true safety you crave, go back to the source. If a 'safety hazard' is well engineered, it is not a hazard.
More info about this case:
http://swimming.about.com/od/swimmingpoolsandspas/qt/mnpoolsafetyact.htm
Now there is this new wrinkle: Drain cover recall could close thousands of pools http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-05-26-swimming-pool-drain-recall_n.htm
(Don't read the comments there are some very low class people on that forum. And, sorry, yes, I am breaking my own rule of never posting more than once on an article but this pushed me over the edge 🙂 )
This is further evidence that VGBPSSA was pushed through without being thought through.
Of course, the biggest irony to me is that it was the "small government" George Bush who signed the law. What a hypocrite. Of course, this is just small potatoes next to NCLB (a big win for the curriculum publishers who lobbied for it). "W" precided over the largest expansion of government ever. I am sorry but you really are dumb if you are still a republican.
I am at Foxys pretty much every night. I am alayws down to shoot some pool. So if you see me and want to play some pool just let me know, I am down!.Woody
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